6.30.2004

President Bush speaking at NFIB's National Small Business Summit in Washington DC on June 17. I took this photo from the back of the room with my super dooper digital zoom. Nonetheless, it was pretty cool being in the same room with the President even though I wasn't very close.

AND...one of my favs...Jeffrey Steele performed with three 3 Ring Circus (Jeffrey's own publishing company) songwriters. Of course, that was my favorite part of the night! And, Steve C was there rippin' it up as well. (Steve C is Jeffrey's guitar player...and, he's been backing me up on songwriter nights, too. He is an incredible player and one of the coolest people we've met in Nashville. LOVE HIM.)

At the end of the night, my friend Gwen and I talked with Jeffrey on the way out the door. She is such a little ?@#!. As I was saying, "great show as always...loved 3 Ring Circus...see ya next time..." to Jeffrey, Gwen piped up and said, "You know...Jeanne has a wonderful voice..." Gwen's so sweet, but it kind of embarrassed me and I thought I was going to die...UNTIL...he responded,

"She does?! Well...do you want to get up and sing with me next time?"

My response?

To Jeffrey Steele:"Sure...you say the word. I'd love to sit in. We'll have a blast."

Inside my head:YES. YES. YES. WHOOOHOOOOOOOOOOO!

It's not official yet, but there is a possibility that Jeffrey and his band will be playing at 3rd & Lindsley on August 13. If that proves to be true, I'll be there! What a hoot...me singing with Jeffrey Steele.

Johnny The clock UPDATE:John and Blue Mother Tupelo left Sarasota yesterday for their next gig in West Palm Beach.

WARNING: AlligatorsOn the way, there were quick boat ramps along the road. Around these they saw signs warning to watch for alligators. WILD. So, of course, they decided to stop at one of the boat ramps to look for some alligators...I mean really...what else should you do when you see alligator warning signs?! HA. Anyway, John said they walked up to the bank, looked down and right there was an alligator laying there sunning himself. Yikers! John said it was really cool but a little un-nerving.

ALERT: Extreme homes aheadOnce they arrived in West Palm Beach and checked into their hotel, they decided to go do a little sight seeing. According to John, there are homes in West Palm Beach that make some of the largest mansions in Nashville seem like shacks. He said they were HUGE and all along the waters edge with boat docks and private beaches. Of course, being in an area like this also meant that they had one heck of a time finding an affordable place to eat supper!

ATTENTION: John rocks.Have I told you lately...that John is my FAVORITE person in the whole world? Have I told you how proud I am of John? He is the most talented, kind, compassionate and determined person I know...If only I could be just like him! I miss John terribly, but LOVE knowing that he is out doing what he loves to do with some very cool friends. I wouldn't want it any other way. The only thing that would make it better is if I had three months of vacation so that I could take time off to go with him on all of the cool trips! Can't wait to see all the photos he's taken on the Florida trip. I'll be sure to post a couple here (if I ever take the time to figure out just how to do that! HA.)

I checked out the Sunday situation last weekend and it was PACKED, so even though I'm on the 8 pm lineup, you may want come for the the 6:00 pm show so you've got a better chance of getting a seat. There is no reserved seating and no cover charge on Sunday's...so we'll just make a dinner party of it!

I'd love to see you there!Let me know if you plan to come and if we can, we'll try to save you a seat.

6.28.2004

Saturday I spent most of the day taking care of domestic things, soaking in the tub and then going out to see a some songwriters perform at our favorite music club.

Sunday, I had a Vision Team meeting before church, sang in church and then finished a few more domestic tasks that needed attention. My friend Eric came over for a songwriting appointment. After he left, I went to the Bluebird to check out the Sunday night writers night so I'd know what to expect in two weeks when I perform there. (Can I get a big, "WHOOHOOOOO!")

John's BMT Florida TourTalked to John several times over the weekend. He's having a great time touring around Florida through 7/4 with Blue Mother Tupelo.

Friday (6.25.04), BMT's gig was in / near Tallahassee. It was a small venue, but they had a great response. Sold 14 CDs and had a GREAT time.

On Saturday (6.26.04), they opened for The Subdudes in Tampa. The show was sold out (approx 750 people) and it went GREAT. Plus, John's aunt, Marion, and her husband were able to attend the show, too. Sounds like they had a blast and that the crowd was really into Blue Mother Tupelo. They sold 50 CDs after the show! John said he had people from the audience coming up to him (and Micol & Ricky, too) all night, complimenting them on the performance and asking for autographs, etc. PLUS...The Subdudes loved them too. John said they mentioned how great BMT's set was during their show and each of the band members made an an extra effort to talk to John, Micol and Ricky both before and after the gig. VERY COOL. The Subdudes really loved them and asked for CDs, too. John says he thinks they all had a great musical connection and that he hoped their paths would cross again soon.

Sunday (6.27.04), Micol, Ricky and John moved to a hotel near the beach in Sarasota. No gigs until 7/1, so they're planning to do a little exploring. John also got to walk in the Gulf yesterday and hopes to get a little sun today.

Here's an outline of the rest of the tour:
Thursday, July 1
CLEMATIS BY NIGHT
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA
SHOW BEGINS AT 5:30PM

Friday, July 2
TOBACCO ROAD
MIAMI, FLORIDA
SHOW BEGINS AT 10:00PM

Saturday, July 3
HOUSE OF BLUES
ORLANDO, FLORIDA
SHOW STARTS AT 11:00PM

Well...as much as I'd like to write more...I really need to get my big giant butt back to work.

6.26.2004

Last night I went to see Kentucky Thunder at 3rd & Lindsley (where else?!) and the show was spectacular. The group is fronted by four incredible female vocalists / songwriters: Jonell Mosser, Vicki Carrico, Etta Britt and Shelia Lawrence. To top it all off, the band was a star line up as well with Greg Morrow(I dare you to Google him...amazing.) on drums, Allison Prestwood(This is a Real Audio clip of NPR interview w/Allison)on bass, Dan Baird on guitar and Randy Leago(scroll down for his bio on Kathy Mattea's site) on keys/sax. Let's just say it was the BEST Kentucky Thunder show I've seen. You would have loved it, too.

Oh...but there is more! Just before the second set was about to start, I thought I recognized a face in the crowd. He looked like someone John went on a two week Alaska tour with several years ago. So, being the extrovert that I am...I asked the man as he tried to pass in front of me, "Is your name Wayne?" He replied, "Yes." Instantly, I said, "Wayne Carson?" And he said, "Yes."

I was elated! Immediately, I introduced myself and reminded him that John had played with him on the Alaska gig with Rod Jerke's band. He remembered the gig and got a big smile on his face. I invited him to sit at our group's table and he did. He had the best seat, right in front of the stage. Very cool.

SIDE BAR: You may not be familiar with the name Wayne Carson...but I KNOW you know at least two (if not more) of his songs. Can you say: "The Letter" by the Boxtops or "Always on My Mind?" And these are just the two I can think of right now...there are so many more!

Wayne and I visited briefly before the set started. He had come down to see his friends sing and to support Jonell. (Jonell's husband, Andy Bob, was recently in a very severe accident that required 600 stiches in his face and left him with four fractured neck vertebrae. He's at home in a halo for six weeks...meanwhile he can't work and they've got bills stacking up and about $50,000 in medical expenses looming over them.) Jonell and Wayne write together and he's worked with her, Vicki and Etta in the studio.

When the women came back to the stage for the second set...all of their faces lit up when they saw Wayne sitting there. Etta came up and gave him a big smooch from stage while Jonell and Vicki blew him kisses and screamed "Wayne Carson" into the mic. What a riot!

About half way through the set, Vicki takes the mic and announces, "We've got one of the world's greatest songwriters in the house tonight...and we've also got a friend who is a GREAT singer in the audience. So, we have an idea...we'd like our friend Mike (not sure if that was his name but that's what his name is now! Ha.) to the stage to perfom "The Letter" by Wayne Carson who is sitting right here!"

Needless to say, it was GREAT. The band jumped in and everyone in the room went wild. Wish you could have seen it, too!

When the set ended, Jonell came over to talk with Wayne. It was so cool. She sat down and gave him a big hug and kiss. You could tell that they are great friends who really connect. Then Vicki came over and you could see the same. It was fun to witness the bonds of rooted musical friendships.

Then, Wayne and I talked about what John is doing now (told him about Blue Mother Tupelo, etc.), Eva Cassidy's version of "The Letter" and he reminisced about the Alaska gig. We had a really nice conversation and then he asked me if I had a pen so he could give us his number. John is supposed to give him a call when he gets back from the Florida trip. Very cool.

After Wayne left, Jonell and I got to visit a little more, too. She is one of the strongest and most determined people I've ever met. I really feel a connection with her both musically and personally. The last two times we've seen her, she's said, "Jeanne, when are we going to sing together? We've got to figure it out." Of course, I told her I'd love to sing with her. She said maybe we could get together to work up a song for the benefit on 7/15 (It's a benefit for her and Andy Bob.) If that works out, cool. If not, I told her we'll get to sing together sooner or later. She's got other things to worry about right now...and I don't want her to have to jump through hoops for me. But wow...singing with Jonell would be a BLAST.

Blah...blah...blah...wow.
I sure can go on, can't I?!

That's all for now. I've got to go figure out how to post the President's photo to this blog thing! Hopefully, you'll be able to see it by weekend's end!